Shiner Smokehaus

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This is only my second rauchbier. The first was less than a pleasant experience. To much smokey flavor. But then I’ve always had a good experience with the Shiner line of beers. So why not? This one is a bright golden colored beer. A big foamy textured white head rises above. Decent amount of hang time. The lacing is impressive. Soapy film all the way up the glass, thicker at the body. A thin ringlet and spotty clouds atop the body. A toned down mesquite aroma rises to the nose. Some weak notes of malt. The body is light and smooth. Low carbonation, though. The flavors are mesquite and like the nose a weaker malt. Better to my tastebuds than Aecht Schlenkerla, nut the style is still not one I would actively seek out and repeat.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours a clear golden amber with a fine-bubbled, yellow-tinged off-white head. Aroma is strong and malty with a subtle tone of hickory smoke. Flavor is malty and just a little yeasty and has a firm hickory smoke overtone. Thick, smooth, slightly fizzy texture leaves a distinctive smoky and yeasty finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Pours a light gold.. decent foam for a helles.. peanut the cat is a jerk! aroma of light pancake with syrup, old cured ham, and old corn burlap sack .. pretty muddled all and all, but a decent summer brew, just that tiny touch of smoke.. i liked it for the most part, but don’t expect much smoke..

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Nice clear amber pour with a smallish head and little lacing. Definitely detect the smoke in the aromas with a slight sweet maltiness and slight hops. Taste also has a decent dose of sweet smokiness along with some sweet malts and a pinch of hops. I liked it - different from the norm.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

I am rating this as though it were a rauchbier, and my low rating is meant to reflect the fact that, though it is advertised as one, I would not call it a rauchbier. There are echoes of smoke in the flavor, but you really have to use your imagination to get there. Fizzy and no lace, with that generalized lager smell and taste. It's not a horrible lager, but I hate most lagers. I want rauchbiers to be completely unapologetic, but this one is a marginal offering at best. Again, I'm biased against light lagers, but I cannot believe that this is remotely close to the best balance that could be created for smokiness, even for these pale malts.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

I am really quite surprised by the other reviews of this incredible session beer.

Smells of sweet and smoke with some grass on the nose. Pours a very hazy Yellow with some head. Very nice carbonation with a smooth finish a light to medium body. Flavor was subtle on the smoke which is why it was so good.. It was refreshing with a nice smokey twist. I really LIkes this beer.. Was it the smokiest Rauchbier I have ever had.... no.. but it was rather good for a different summer brew..

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Pours clear yellow-gold, light head and no lacing. Nose is sweet malt with no evident smoke. Flavor is of a decent helles, with the smoke barely detectable. Finishes cleanly, with the smoke showing a little more in the aftertaste. If I hadn't been told it's a smoked brew, I never would have guessed. A decent enough lager, but where's the smoke?

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Although this wasnt a bad beer i was a little disappointed. The aroma had hints of sweet malts, but no smoke. The body was a clear mid-yellow, not much carbonation, but enough to give it a bite. The head was thin and fizzy, with not much lace. The flavor only had trace amounts of smoke, interestingly the aftertaste was decent with the flavor opening up a little more. I guess for this style of beer it was better to have less smoke than too much. This was better than their '99' Helles style.